Order of the Golden Eagle
The Sovereign Military and Monastic Order of the Golden Eagle and the Holy Light, also known as the Sovereign Military Order of the Golden Eagle, Sovereign Order, or Order of the Golden Eagle, is an autonomous Holy Light religious order of a military, iconoclastic, chivalrous and monastic nature. It is one of few orders that have publicly denounced the authority of the Church of the Holy Light. The Sovereign Military Order of the Golden Eagle is headquartered in Eaglehold, Deadwind Pass. Heading the Order is its third Grand Master, Clothair Ravenot, a man who once served as an exemplar and knight of the Church of the Holy Light for a short period before publically denouncing it. History The creation of the order dates back to around year 27. Scarlet Crusaders that deserted from the Scarlet Crusade after Tyr’s Hand’s destruction, managed to conquer a lost barony in the Western Plaguelands known as Palenstrad from the Scourge. The Order of the Golden Eagle, its banners inherited from Palenstrad’s coat of arms, became independent under the guidance of its founder, Cassius Palenix. The Order of the Golden Eagle’s was to defend the living present in the Plaguelands and to eradicate the wicked. All the Knights, Chaplains and even Inquisitors of the order were bound by vows and obliged to partake in a ritual before being recognized by the order. With its adoption of a new and iconoclastic philosophy to prevent corruption similar to that present in the Scarlet Crusade, the newly established order found itself at odds with numerous factions that surrounded their territory, mainly the Argent Crusade of Hearthglen. Palenstrad Former holding of the order’s founder, Cassius Palenix, Palenstrad was purged of all undead that were present in the ruins and was then rebuilt to serve as the order’s main base of operations. From there, the Order began to lead a series of skirmishes against the Cult of the Damned and the Forsaken. After the Lich King’s fall and the Argent Crusade’s conquest of Hearthglen, tensions began to shift towards the Order of the Golden Eagle and the Argent Crusade. Upon capturing a member of Hearthglen’s council, and having exposed her of supporting practice of the shadow, the Order of the Golden Eagle committed an act known as the Massacre of Palenstrad, where numerous practitioners of the occult were caught and executed in the castle’s courtyard. The massacre began a short war between the Argent Crusade and the Order that concluded with Palenstrad being destroyed and the survivors of the siege to flee to the south. Duskwood After six months since the siege against the Argent Crusade, the Order settled itself in the Kingdom of Stormwind, Duskwood to continue their mission to defend the living and to vanquish the wicked. The Church of the Holy Light disapproved of the Order’s autonomy, declaring the order as a heresy. Despite disapproval from the Church, the Order continued its mission and defeated various unholy sects present in the tainted forest. The Order eventually discovered an obscure cult with the emblem of a silver eagle. This discovery led to a raid led by the Order against the County of Eaglehold and concluded with the burning of Eaglehold’s library and archives. Since the raid, the order dedicated itself in eradicating the now exposed cult and conspiracy that was present in Eaglehold. This resulted in numerous witch hunts, supported by House Garnet, to bring down all remnants of the unholy sect. The hunts resulted in the killing of a cultist under the guise of a clergywoman, provoking a conflict between the Church of the Holy Light and the Order for the first time. Eaglehold By the end of the conflict between the County of Beggar’s Hills and the Church of the Holy Light, the Order’s founder, Cassius Palenix disappeared, bringing forth a series of misfortune to the order, reducing its presence in the realm. Sir Clothair Ravenot, a former knight of the Church, took forth the mantle of Grand Master of the Order and decided to establish its headquarters in the ruins of Castle Eaglehold to remain vigilant of the evil that transpires in the tainted region. Reforms have been set in place by the Order since the shift of leadership, and all present in the Order are known to publically denounce the Church’s authority. Philosophy The Sovereign Order's beliefs differ greatly from the average holy orders that exist in the world. The Sovereign Order considers the Holy Light as the one supreme authority of the universe, the judge of Gods and mortals alike. They do not consider any mortal being as sacred or holy, no matter their piety, and therefore worship no idol. They quarrel against all forms of tyrannies and depravities, valuing the old concept of the Silver Hand's liberation of orcish tyranny during the Second War. Magic, be it shadow, arcane or fel, is ill regarded by the Sovereign Order due to its chaotic nature, but their practitioners can be sanctioned in the event to benefit the Order's understanding in how to combat such foes. The members of the Sanctioned are highly watched and often met with disdain. The Sovereign Order does not affiliate itself with the politics of the realm and values initiative over inaction. Category:Organizations